Our Beautiful Dark Twisted Review

Kanye West's new album came out Monday and we've spent the last two days listening to it on repeat so we could tell you what we think.  While we (especially Mallory) may not care for him as an individual, it's hard to deny him respect as an artist.  He seems to have the idea that he outdid himself with this one, considering the amount/type of promotion his camp put out leading up to the album's release.  For each of the 13 Fridays leading up to November 12, Kanye released a remixed or original version of a song on his website for free download.  About a month before the album came out Kanye put out his acting and directorial debut in the form of his short film, "Runaway." 




Yes, it involves a Phoenix, some bad acting by West, and some odd cinematography but it showcases the music from the album in an original way. We halfheartedly approve.


With the exception of the song "Runaway" (his response to last year's VMA/Taylor Swift fiasco), the singles were pretty well chosen.  "Power," "Monster," and the upcoming "All the Lights" are all standouts.  However our favorite song is the album opener "Dark Fantasy."  The song is a much grander opening than previous efforts. It samples 1987's "In High Places" by Mike Oldfield, in which Oldfield sings out "Can we get much higher?!" which brings the music to a stop with a chorus of singers and piano followed by an interlude with a nice string sample.  It's the pauses in the song that show this is album has a greater presence.


"Monster" features some striking lyrics by the incredible Jay Z (Justin's favorite rapper behind Notorious B.I.G.).   But the winner for best flow on the entire album would have to go to Nikki Minaj in this song:

 And if I'm fake I ain't notice cause my money ain't

 So let me get this straight, wait, I'm the rookie?

 But my features and my shows ten times your pay

 50k for a verse and no album out!

Her rapping it sounds much cooler than us typing it. It also sounds much cooler than Kanye's pitiful attempts at singing, which he interjects into a few songs, but is most prominent in "Runaway." Stick to your day job, Kanye. However poor choral skills is something you do have in common with Taylor Swift, so maybe y'all can continue to make amends over that.  Jay Z probably said it best on "Death of Autotune" on the Blueprint 3 that T-Pain should be the only one to use the studio trick.  


While this album is definitely not for everyone, especially those who don't like explicit lyrics, it is a game changer.  If you have an opportunity to check out (probably away from work) you should.  Love him or hate him, Kanye has come out with one of the best rap albums of they year.

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